I've been rocking GB Elves for awhile now at my LGS and it's been doing very well there as well as on Cockatrice. I chose GB over GW or Abzan for a number of reasons. One is that the manabase is impeccable! It's so freaking easy and painless. Another is that if I wanted the Vizier/Druid combo, I'll just play Vizier Company. I have it on standby. I'm not arguing that the GW list isn't solid. Far from it. I understand the "oops, I win" factor/threat is a big deal. I understand that the silver bullet toolbox is the real deal too, and have heavily considered going Abzan because of it, although I haven't been able to justify doing that to the manabase. It's just preference, really. The deck runs like a top! It's extremely consistent, and can be very grindy if need be. Of course, Shaman of the Pack is just the tits. Dat reach tho. I know we all know the pros/cons of the different cultivars of this deck, and I'm not really sure why I bothered going into all that. I guess I felt the need to justify my decision since the GW version is the only one I see putting up tournament results/being played in higher level tournaments. Moving on.
I've been playing with 4x Lead the Stampede and I've been very happy with how it performs. A lot of the time it helps me to continue to "go off" with Heritage Druid shenanigans. It's amazing in the grindier/control MU's. Still, I've found myself missing Chord of Calling, so I've recently decided to run a 2x/2x split. I've been pleased so far.
The creature list is standard GB, and/but I'm running only 3x Elvish Visionary to make room for my 1-of super spicy tech (either Rites or Throne).
My land base is as follows:
So, I've been running Growing Rites of Itlimoc in my flex tech spot, and it's been really good at doing what it does, but I think if I'm being honest and objective I would have to say that when it hits and does its thing, I'm usually already elfballin'. I wanted to try out Throne of the God-Pharaoh because I like the reach that Shaman has and wanted to play off of it and add to it. The Chord's that I recently added also play nicely with Throne which influenced my consideration as well. What has been y'all's experience with Throne? I'd be interested to hear how it has performed for those who have tried it.
Some closing thoughts: Westvale Abbey is an all-star. That card has helped me pull some of the most unwinnable games straight out of my ***. What a phenomenal addition to the deck.
Also, I just wanted to say that my Llanowar Elves are all foil 7th editions, and that they add 1.25G to my mana pool when I tap them. Pretty good stuff.
As always, I appreciate any and all tips/suggestions/etc. Thanks for taking the time.
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MODERN: BRGJUNDGRB---BRHOLLOW ONERB---BGELVESGB---BRGLIVING ENDGRB---GWBOGLESWG EDH: BRGKARRTHUS, TYRANT OF JUNDGRB
I've been rocking GB Elves for awhile now at my LGS and it's been doing very well there as well as on Cockatrice. I chose GB over GW or Abzan for a number of reasons. One is that the manabase is impeccable! It's so freaking easy and painless. Another is that if I wanted the Vizier/Druid combo, I'll just play Vizier Company. I have it on standby. I'm not arguing that the GW list isn't solid. Far from it. I understand the "oops, I win" factor/threat is a big deal. I understand that the silver bullet toolbox is the real deal too, and have heavily considered going Abzan because of it, although I haven't been able to justify doing that to the manabase. It's just preference, really. The deck runs like a top! It's extremely consistent, and can be very grindy if need be. Of course, Shaman of the Pack is just the tits. Dat reach tho. I know we all know the pros/cons of the different cultivars of this deck, and I'm not really sure why I bothered going into all that. I guess I felt the need to justify my decision since the GW version is the only one I see putting up tournament results/being played in higher level tournaments. Moving on.
I've been playing with 4x Lead the Stampede and I've been very happy with how it performs. A lot of the time it helps me to continue to "go off" with Heritage Druid shenanigans. It's amazing in the grindier/control MU's. Still, I've found myself missing Chord of Calling, so I've recently decided to run a 2x/2x split. I've been pleased so far.
The creature list is standard GB, and/but I'm running only 3x Elvish Visionary to make room for my 1-of super spicy tech (either Rites or Throne).
My land base is as follows:
So, I've been running Growing Rites of Itlimoc in my flex tech spot, and it's been really good at doing what it does, but I think if I'm being honest and objective I would have to say that when it hits and does its thing, I'm usually already elfballin'. I wanted to try out Throne of the God-Pharaoh because I like the reach that Shaman has and wanted to play off of it and add to it. The Chord's that I recently added also play nicely with Throne which influenced my consideration as well. What has been y'all's experience with Throne? I'd be interested to hear how it has performed for those who have tried it.
Some closing thoughts: Westvale Abbey is an all-star. That card has helped me pull some of the most unwinnable games straight out of my ***. What a phenomenal addition to the deck.
Also, I just wanted to say that my Llanowar Elves are all foil 7th editions, and that they add 1.25G to my mana pool when I tap them. Pretty good stuff.
As always, I appreciate any and all tips/suggestions/etc. Thanks for taking the time.
Your list is pretty close to mine. I split 2/2 lead, but picked Throne of the God-Pharaoh in my flex still. It's just fun to use and rarely hate seeing it. The extra burn just to me if fun and a faster clock than people think. I would say definitely test it.
Hi everybody. I was wondering if Kitesail Freebooter can work in GB's sideboard instead of other discard options. We all agree that TS is much more versatile, but the pirate can be tutored and hit by Chord, CoCo, LtS and Eldritch Evolution.
I believe Syreal has been known to run Brain Maggot in his sideboard. Just like Freebooter but can also grab creature cards. I guess the 'downside' would be 1 toughness and no flying but I don't see that as too big of a deal
Thanks, i totally forgot that card. I suppose that it doesn't help racing your opponent, but a 1/2 flyer isn't that big of a menace either. Also, you side them to disrupt and slow down the opponent, not to be more aggressive.
Are you set on staying Abzan, or would you consider switching to GW or GB?
I ran an Abzan list for awhile also, but the mana base always felt too clunky and painful. About a year ago I switched to GB and have been much more satisfied with the deck since.
The mana is just so much smoother, especially when side boarding in games 2 and 3.
What is your meta like? More details there would help guide recommendations.
Any budget restrictions?
I think by boarding out coco and leaving chord you did the opposite of what you're supposed to. Chord is more difficult to leverage because they are always picking apart your hand or your board state. The stops you from taking advantage of convoke, only puts one creature on board so you play in to their game of one for ones, and is just as easily stubborn denialed as coco.
I don't think the match up is too awful, but it definitely gets worse after board. We tend to go a lot wider than they can deal with and it's unfortunate you saw an early pyroclasm in both games. I'd probably board the combo out in this match up. Cut the Vizier, and a couple Chords for Burrenton Forge-Tender if their sweeper is red, Chameleon Colossus, and maybe a Rest in Peace.
I've been rocking GB Elves for awhile now at my LGS and it's been doing very well there as well as on Cockatrice. I chose GB over GW or Abzan for a number of reasons. One is that the manabase is impeccable! It's so freaking easy and painless. Another is that if I wanted the Vizier/Druid combo, I'll just play Vizier Company. I have it on standby. I'm not arguing that the GW list isn't solid. Far from it. I understand the "oops, I win" factor/threat is a big deal. I understand that the silver bullet toolbox is the real deal too, and have heavily considered going Abzan because of it, although I haven't been able to justify doing that to the manabase. It's just preference, really. The deck runs like a top! It's extremely consistent, and can be very grindy if need be. Of course, Shaman of the Pack is just the tits. Dat reach tho. I know we all know the pros/cons of the different cultivars of this deck, and I'm not really sure why I bothered going into all that. I guess I felt the need to justify my decision since the GW version is the only one I see putting up tournament results/being played in higher level tournaments. Moving on.
I've been playing with 4x Lead the Stampede and I've been very happy with how it performs. A lot of the time it helps me to continue to "go off" with Heritage Druid shenanigans. It's amazing in the grindier/control MU's. Still, I've found myself missing Chord of Calling, so I've recently decided to run a 2x/2x split. I've been pleased so far.
The creature list is standard GB, and/but I'm running only 3x Elvish Visionary to make room for my 1-of super spicy tech (either Rites or Throne).
My land base is as follows:
So, I've been running Growing Rites of Itlimoc in my flex tech spot, and it's been really good at doing what it does, but I think if I'm being honest and objective I would have to say that when it hits and does its thing, I'm usually already elfballin'. I wanted to try out Throne of the God-Pharaoh because I like the reach that Shaman has and wanted to play off of it and add to it. The Chord's that I recently added also play nicely with Throne which influenced my consideration as well. What has been y'all's experience with Throne? I'd be interested to hear how it has performed for those who have tried it.
Some closing thoughts: Westvale Abbey is an all-star. That card has helped me pull some of the most unwinnable games straight out of my ***. What a phenomenal addition to the deck.
Also, I just wanted to say that my Llanowar Elves are all foil 7th editions, and that they add 1.25G to my mana pool when I tap them. Pretty good stuff.
As always, I appreciate any and all tips/suggestions/etc. Thanks for taking the time.
I am quite curious as to what your main deck looks like as we have similar mana bases, if you don't mind posting.
I really like your post Clouds. My experince with the different types elves(G/B,G/W and abzan) is very simmilar to yours.
I like the impacktfull SB card from White R.i.p, stony and the good chord targets. The G/W version seems more smooth and thats why i sadly cant find room for SOTP.
Can anyone speak about their experiences with Sword of Light and Shadow in the sideboard? There are some obvious upsides to the card, but what less apparent strengths does it bring? And why is it more commonly seen than Sword of Fire and Ice? Do the Swords in general slot better into GW, GB, or Abzan?
This was fist time ever that Nettle Sentinel was reason of my loss. I will run 3x of them.
I don't think that is very good logic. If this was the first time ever losing because of them, you probably shouldn't immediately jump to cutting one. Not that cutting one is that drastic of a change, it's just hard to say that it was specifically Nettle Sentinel that lost you that game. If those weren't Nettle Sentinels then your opponent probably would be at a higher life total since you would have been attacking for less most likely. You also may not have as big of a board state since two Sentinels and Heritage Druid result in some explosive turns.
It's hard to know all the lines of play without actually seeing the game, but if you had Elvish Champion, Heritage Druid, and 2x Sentinel, had the sentinels been stuck tapped for a couple turns? Maybe it was worth not attacking with the Sentinels on earlier turns, or only attacking with one to keep Druid online knowing you only had access to two land.
Anyway, my point is that I don't think it was specifically one card that lost you the game. Consider what other lines you could have taken on the previous few turns with only two lands in play, but the ability to abuse Heritage Druid with Nettle Sentinels. It's too easy to blame a loss on one card, or mana screw, or a bad top deck. It seems you had the tools to win that game and maybe a different line would have gotten you there.
Please don't take the criticism personally. Obviously I didn't see the match so I can't say if you played perfectly or not, I just think other things should be taken in to consideration. If in the end you decide you don't like Sentinel, then definitely cut it. I'm not advocating for the card one way or the other, I just want to make sure people think critically about it.
Happy Holidays! Does anyone here have extensive experience against Eldrazi Tron? I need tips on how to perfectly play the match-up. It has become the deck to beat in my meta and I have about 50% winrate. Any sideboard tech you have? I normally bring in Chameleon Colossus, Phyrexian Revoker, Rec Sage, and Stony Silence.
Eldrazi tron should be a favorable matchup. We are faster and they have limited disruption. They can win just if they get tron online quickly and start casting big ballistas or all is dust. Of the cards you listed i dislike chameleon colossus; yes, it can get bigger than all their creatures, but i think you just want to be explosive and company or chord will always be better than a colossus
I play GB and will agree that the E-Tron match-up is challenging, but seems favorable. In my experience, the cards I want to see them play the least are All is Dust, Chalice, R Smasher, and Thought-Knot. With that in mind, I bring in a Tajuru Preserver, a Glissa, the Traitor, and 2 or 3 Thoughtseize. Rec Sage is already in my MB, and stays in for games 2 and 3.
Don't use throne. It's a trap. Think of it this way You paying 2 Mana for a Lord effect that isn't an elf. Does nothing if you have a bunch of 2/2 elves but can't attack or tap them.
Itlimoc is okay but stampede just does it better... You will probably pull an archdruid or get closer to one with lead if u want the Mana. Moreover, GQ te even ruins aren't uncommon. Struggle to flip it just to see it torched. Play Garruk with it, or don't play it at all.
I think 8-9 sources of black is correct for BG. I have been fooling around with a mana base with no fetches in a standard BG shell. Sideboard is more of a tool box for cordable hatebears. The mana base has been great so far I have placed 38th at scg classic Cincinnati (melted down in the last 2 rounds), 15th at a Chicago tourney (28 players), also have done well in weekly modern events. I have only won 1 FNM with BG elves, but even when I lose, the deck is fun and I have fun.
4 Gilt leaf palace
4 Horizon canopy
4 Blooming Marsh
3 Cavern of souls
2 Forest
1 overgrown tomb
Growing Rites of Itlimoc or Throne of the God-Pharaoh?
I only have room for one. I wanted to ask the question before I bored everyone with all the details. Now that I have, here's the context:
I've been rocking GB Elves for awhile now at my LGS and it's been doing very well there as well as on Cockatrice. I chose GB over GW or Abzan for a number of reasons. One is that the manabase is impeccable! It's so freaking easy and painless. Another is that if I wanted the Vizier/Druid combo, I'll just play Vizier Company. I have it on standby. I'm not arguing that the GW list isn't solid. Far from it. I understand the "oops, I win" factor/threat is a big deal. I understand that the silver bullet toolbox is the real deal too, and have heavily considered going Abzan because of it, although I haven't been able to justify doing that to the manabase. It's just preference, really. The deck runs like a top! It's extremely consistent, and can be very grindy if need be. Of course, Shaman of the Pack is just the tits. Dat reach tho. I know we all know the pros/cons of the different cultivars of this deck, and I'm not really sure why I bothered going into all that. I guess I felt the need to justify my decision since the GW version is the only one I see putting up tournament results/being played in higher level tournaments. Moving on.
I've been playing with 4x Lead the Stampede and I've been very happy with how it performs. A lot of the time it helps me to continue to "go off" with Heritage Druid shenanigans. It's amazing in the grindier/control MU's. Still, I've found myself missing Chord of Calling, so I've recently decided to run a 2x/2x split. I've been pleased so far.
The creature list is standard GB, and/but I'm running only 3x Elvish Visionary to make room for my 1-of super spicy tech (either Rites or Throne).
My land base is as follows:
Impeccable I tell ya!
My Sideboard (which changes relatively often, if only a little):
Just felt like sharing.
So, I've been running Growing Rites of Itlimoc in my flex tech spot, and it's been really good at doing what it does, but I think if I'm being honest and objective I would have to say that when it hits and does its thing, I'm usually already elfballin'. I wanted to try out Throne of the God-Pharaoh because I like the reach that Shaman has and wanted to play off of it and add to it. The Chord's that I recently added also play nicely with Throne which influenced my consideration as well. What has been y'all's experience with Throne? I'd be interested to hear how it has performed for those who have tried it.
Some closing thoughts:
Westvale Abbey is an all-star. That card has helped me pull some of the most unwinnable games straight out of my ***. What a phenomenal addition to the deck.
Also, I just wanted to say that my Llanowar Elves are all foil 7th editions, and that they add 1.25G to my mana pool when I tap them. Pretty good stuff.
As always, I appreciate any and all tips/suggestions/etc. Thanks for taking the time.
BRGJUNDGRB---BRHOLLOW ONERB---BGELVESGB---BRGLIVING ENDGRB---GWBOGLESWG
EDH:
BRGKARRTHUS, TYRANT OF JUNDGRB
Your list is pretty close to mine. I split 2/2 lead, but picked Throne of the God-Pharaoh in my flex still. It's just fun to use and rarely hate seeing it. The extra burn just to me if fun and a faster clock than people think. I would say definitely test it.
Are you set on staying Abzan, or would you consider switching to GW or GB?
I ran an Abzan list for awhile also, but the mana base always felt too clunky and painful. About a year ago I switched to GB and have been much more satisfied with the deck since.
The mana is just so much smoother, especially when side boarding in games 2 and 3.
What is your meta like? More details there would help guide recommendations.
Any budget restrictions?
I don't think the match up is too awful, but it definitely gets worse after board. We tend to go a lot wider than they can deal with and it's unfortunate you saw an early pyroclasm in both games. I'd probably board the combo out in this match up. Cut the Vizier, and a couple Chords for Burrenton Forge-Tender if their sweeper is red, Chameleon Colossus, and maybe a Rest in Peace.
BLiliana, Heretical HealerB| |GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
GWBDoom Plane EnchantressBWG
I am quite curious as to what your main deck looks like as we have similar mana bases, if you don't mind posting.
I like the impacktfull SB card from White R.i.p, stony and the good chord targets. The G/W version seems more smooth and thats why i sadly cant find room for SOTP.
How does your mana base look when you play SOTP?
Sure thing. It’s pretty standard I think. I did just add a MB Scooze. Haven’t had a chance to try it out though.
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Elvish Mystic
4x Heritage Druid
4x Nettle Sentinel
4x Dwynen’s Elite
2x Elvish Visionary
1x Scavenging Ooze (pending addition)
4x Elvish Archdruid
4x Shaman of the Pack
2x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4x Collected Company
2x Chord of Calling
2x Lead the Stampede
Artifacts (1):
1x Throne of the God Pharaoh
Lands (18):
4x Gilt-Leaf Palace
4x Blooming Marsh
3x Cavern of Souls
2x Horizon Canopy
1x Pendlehaven
1x Westvale Abbey
3x Forest
2x Garruk Relentless
1x Elvish Champion
1x Glissa, the Traitor
1x Chameleon Colossus
2x Scavenging Ooze
2x Dismember
1x Abrupt Decay
2x Fracturing Gust
1x Prowess of the Fair
2x Shapers’ Sanctuary
BRGJUNDGRB---BRHOLLOW ONERB---BGELVESGB---BRGLIVING ENDGRB---GWBOGLESWG
EDH:
BRGKARRTHUS, TYRANT OF JUNDGRB
Thanks!
I don't think that is very good logic. If this was the first time ever losing because of them, you probably shouldn't immediately jump to cutting one. Not that cutting one is that drastic of a change, it's just hard to say that it was specifically Nettle Sentinel that lost you that game. If those weren't Nettle Sentinels then your opponent probably would be at a higher life total since you would have been attacking for less most likely. You also may not have as big of a board state since two Sentinels and Heritage Druid result in some explosive turns.
It's hard to know all the lines of play without actually seeing the game, but if you had Elvish Champion, Heritage Druid, and 2x Sentinel, had the sentinels been stuck tapped for a couple turns? Maybe it was worth not attacking with the Sentinels on earlier turns, or only attacking with one to keep Druid online knowing you only had access to two land.
Anyway, my point is that I don't think it was specifically one card that lost you the game. Consider what other lines you could have taken on the previous few turns with only two lands in play, but the ability to abuse Heritage Druid with Nettle Sentinels. It's too easy to blame a loss on one card, or mana screw, or a bad top deck. It seems you had the tools to win that game and maybe a different line would have gotten you there.
Please don't take the criticism personally. Obviously I didn't see the match so I can't say if you played perfectly or not, I just think other things should be taken in to consideration. If in the end you decide you don't like Sentinel, then definitely cut it. I'm not advocating for the card one way or the other, I just want to make sure people think critically about it.
BLiliana, Heretical HealerB| |GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
GWBDoom Plane EnchantressBWG
Itlimoc is okay but stampede just does it better... You will probably pull an archdruid or get closer to one with lead if u want the Mana. Moreover, GQ te even ruins aren't uncommon. Struggle to flip it just to see it torched. Play Garruk with it, or don't play it at all.
4 Gilt leaf palace
4 Horizon canopy
4 Blooming Marsh
3 Cavern of souls
2 Forest
1 overgrown tomb
4 cord of calling
4 collected company
30 green critters
4 SOTP